The Neshaminy All Sports Hall of Fame held its 31st induction ceremony on September 12 at the high school’s Theordore Kloos Auditorium.
Seventeen athletes and one team were honored.
The athletes included D’Andre Pollard (2015, football, currently the running backs coach at Neshaminy); Matthew Rushwick (2005, baseball); Jeffrey D. Murtha (2012, boys bowling); Brittany Calvert Sunkel (2011, girls bowling); Eric Chapman (2015, boys cross country); Sharla Partlon Yakich (2001, field hockey); Mark Simpson (1976, football, posthumous); Alyssa Zukowski (2015, girls indoor track); Ben Matzke (2015, boys indoor track); Fran Donato (2015, girls lacrosse); McKenna Mullin (2014, girls soccer); Tom Foley (1984, boys soccer, currently the boys soccer coach at Neshaminy); Vincent McGlynn (1985, boys soccer); Devon Swaim (2006, girls soccer, currently the girls soccer coach at Conwell-Egan); Samantha Creamer (2010, softball); David H. Marrington (2015, boys track); and Michael A. Small (2007, boys volleyball).
Rushwick was a pitcher and middle infielder for the Redskins.
“Being on the baseball team was awesome,” said Rushwick, who lives in Langhorne Borough. “The players I played on the team with are the guys I grew up playing ball with so it was great to see the culmination of our team at the end. These are memories we’ll have for a lifetime.”
He was coached by his uncle, Dennis Cox.
“We were at a birthday party and he told me I was being inducted, and I was just blown away,” he said. “It’s such an honor. I’m just floored, really.”
Calvert Sunkel, who grew up in Langhorne, was the Suburban One League Bowler of the Year in 2011, when she also had the high game, high series and high average in the SOL National Conference.
“Being on the team was an amazing experience,” she said. “The memories that we made together and how competitive we were together as a team were great.
“It’s an honor to be here. I was excited to hear that I was even nominated and then to be inducted was exciting for me and my whole family.”
Donato is the first lacrosse player to be inducted into Neshaminy’s Hall of Fame. She is the school record holder for goals in a single season (105) and in a career (319). She led the Suburban One League with 105 goals and 20 assists in 2015.
“The team was my heart and soul the four years I played here,” said Donato, who grew up in Langhorne. “It was a tough four years because our program was struggling but it got better and better and my senior year I got to play with my sister, Elena, so that was a fabulous experience.
“Also, my senior year we finished the season 9-8 which was our first winning season and that felt like such a triumph, and it was a great way to end my senior year. I have a great memory of us getting considered for the playoffs and for us to just be in the conversation was such a joyous moment for us.
“We didn’t get in, but to be mentioned was a huge step for us.”
She went on to play at St. Joseph’s.
Her father, John, is the head coach of the boys team at Neshaminy.
Mullin of Langhorne has the distinction of being the third generation of her family to be inducted into the Neshaminy Hall of Fame. Her grandfather, Rich Cornwall, was a standout on the basketball court for Neshaminy while her mother, Alexa Cornwall, was a gymnast.
“It’s a very special night,” she said. “It’s an honor and I’m very happy to be joining my family here.”
She was the goaltender for the 2013 undefeated Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association championship team. She also holds the Neshaminy record for shutouts in a single season (18) and in a career (46). She played college soccer at West Chester.
“Being on the team was such a great experience. I remember we got to wear our uniforms in school, and it was so cool. It was all about the team and making friends. We’re all still close.”
Creamer was an outfielder for the Redskins, making first team all-Suburban One League. She played in the Carpenter Cup, was named the Outstanding Defensive Player-Outfield and received the Silver Athlete award. An all-state honorable mention choice, she went on to play college ball at Cornell.
“Being on the team was a lot of fun,” said Creamer, who grew up in Langhorne. “It was unbelievable, really. I was so lucky to play with a great group of girls who became my friends.
“I really feel that softball opened the college door for me. My parents always stressed that I was a student-athlete, not an athlete-student and softball was a way to get me there.
“Being here is surreal. I never thought I’d be here for the Hall of Fame and it’s so fun.”
Also inducted was the 1979 Neshaminy Maple Point PIAA Class 3A championship softball team, which posted a record of 23-5.
The team was coached by head coach Margie Tignor and assistants Claire Hillard and Barry Pesci.
Players included Nancy Reinhold Bedesem, Susan Blaker, Sandy Sattung Borochanger, Ellen Pepper Boyce, Ellen Callahan, Sandy Clopton Callender, Lori Hyjurick, Melissa Elliot Holmes, Sharon Martin, Joanne Custodio Quinn, Karen Wagner, KJ Reimensnyder Wagner, Marie Snow Walther, Cyndi Addeo Winters and Trish Hartman Zive.
After receiving their plaques, the inductees were introduced at halftime of Neshaminy’s football game against North Penn.
The evening's induction ceremony honored both the accomplishments and the lasting impact of Neshaminy’s athletes, ensuring their legacies remain an inspiring part of the school’s history.
